In the assembly of pipelines underwater, a substantial portion of the work must be done by divers. Divers can only work under certain conditions and any variation therefrom forces a delay. For instances, divers cannot work underwater at certain depths. They cannot work underwater when the surface is unduly stormy.
The apparatus of the present invention thus enables the connection of a pair of pipes under the most adverse conditions. In particular, it is able to align the pipe prior to joinder of two sections of pipe. This avoids canting or mispositioning of the two pipes.